The Bucket List(2007)- User Reviews

Rob Reiner's "The Bucket List" ranks as one of the funniest and entertaining movies of 2007. Unfortunately, it was sadly over-looked at the Oscars and to this day forward I still don't know why. Witty dialogue, topped with excellent interaction between both of the leading charcters, performed by two of the best performers in cinema history (Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman). The story is a tale for the ages and with the performances by the two stars truly make this feel-good story with strong morals all the more enchanting.
Nicholson stars as silver-spooned Edward Cole, a shrewd hospital chairperson, who runs his facility with an iron fist, and strictly demands that all recovery rooms must have two beds in each room for two patients. But the unfortunate fate has him chronically ill and must share the same room with a blue-collar worker Carter Chambers (Freeman). With both men hit with cancer, the doctors proclaim that they have about four more months to live. After a while in convalescence, the frienship between the both start to take form. Carter begins joting down tasks known as a bucket list and Edward takes his requests into consideration. This list is a series of things Edward and Carter want to do before they kick the "bucket". But with Cole's unlimited wealth, the duo's wish list come through. The geriatric duo ventures around the world, goes skydiving and driving racecars. But as the goals are slowly running out, they realize that they have fulfilled thier remaining months and the impact they have on each other.
Nicholson is at his best as the miserly hospital owner, who eventually shifts to a more warm-hearted charcter thanks mainly to Carter's alliance. There's no need to enhance on character development because we're easily drawn to Nicholson's character and his character traits from the past. And in "The Bucket List" he doesn't disappoint.
Morgan Freeman carries the torch above his shoulders in the performances were used to seeing him in as the wise old soul and his delivery of lines will have you in both joy and sadness. It was like the roles of Edward and Carter were made for Nicholson and Freeman. The chemistry between the two leads is reminiscent to Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau from the "Grumpy Old Men" series.
A big hand goes to the amazing script by Justin Zackham who juxtaposes the humor between light-hearted and sardonic. The cynacism in Edward's character blend right in on Nicholson's performance. The conversations between the leads never bore us for one second and never falls flat on campiness, the flow goes by naturally and pace is at a reasonable speed.
The only quiver about the movie I have is the film lacks in originality. This story has been done before. Sure it's warm and friendly with a compelling twist in the end, the definitive clothesline of movies have been compared to this movie like "Driving Miss Daisy' and "As Good as it gets" which is ironically played by the same actors. But other than this small nitpickings, this movie provides wholesome entertainment and a good way for Rob Reiner to return to the limelight especially after his other abysmal pictures we've seen him direct recently.